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Monday, June 2, 2014

Task force releases map of Detroit's blight

The Detroit Blight Removal Task Force, an effort between the Obama Administration and the city of Detroit, released a 331-page report detailing the extent of Detroit's blight last week. The full report recommends the demolition of 40,000 properties within the next five years — an effort the report estimates would cost at least $850 million.

The report was made possible by volunteer efforts from the Motor City Mapping project, conducted by Data Driven Detroit. A team of more than 150 resident volunteers collected data in a process the report dubs "blexting" (a portmanteau of "blight" and "texting" ... ugh), using a mobile app to photograph and survey properties.